Rail-chair.



P. E. DUTCHERV RAlL CHAiR.

APPLICATLON FILED JUNE 23. um.

v. i A

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

FFTQ.

IIERPONT E. BUTCHER, OF MILNAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB T0 BUGYRUS COM- PANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application filed June 23, 1917. Serial No. 176,491.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PIERPONT E. DUTCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of-Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail chairs and track construction. it has for one object to provide a new and improved form of rail chair which can be used to support the rail or track upon which a steam shovef's carried and along which it travels. Another object is to provide a track assembly which will be flexible, elastic, eas ily moved and easily laid down and taken up. Another object is to provide a rail chairin which the end of a rail may be seated and carried, and which while holding the rail and preventing its overturn, will still per-,

mit of angular movement, both in a horizontal and a vertical plane of the rail with respect to the chair. Other objects of the invention will appear from time to time in my specification.

My invention is intended primarily for use in connection with steam shovels, excavating machinery and the like, but it is evident that it can be used in any situation where a light portable railway traveling over rough and irregular ground is a necessity.

M track is made up of a series of short, preferably straight rail sections having their webs perforated at the end in the usual manner. These short rail sections are supported upon chairs, there being one chair between each pair of rail sections. The rail chair has curved supporting and guiding surfaces and contains a pin passing through the perforations in the rail webs, this pin fitting loosely in the rail, so that the rail members themselves are free to assume different angular positions with respect to the chairs without throwing the rails out of operative relation one with another. It is possible by using my apparatus to lay a track about a curve along a tangent or along a sinuous line. The arrangement is such that sharp changes in inclination of different parts of the tracks are permitted and means are provided for adjusting the rail sections in the chairs to compensate for the added length of the outer track in a long or sharp curve.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan View of a railroad track showing a curve;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a chair in part section showing diagrammatically a rail member in position therein;

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. dis a section along the line H of Fig. 1 also showing the rail in dotted lines.

Like parts are indicated by like characters in all the figures.

A is a main base plate perforated at A to permit passage of the screws A which hold the plate in position on the cross tie A The upper rail supportingsurface of the plate A is provided with separated cylindrically curved bearing surfaces A A whose aXes of curvature extend in a line substantially parallel with the axial line of the tie. The curved surfaces are so arranged that the high part of each such curved surface is substantially half way between the central portion of the chair and its outer side.

Extending upwardly and inwardly from the outer edges of the plate A are web members B, B These members overhang the bearing surfaces A*, A and are reinforced by ribs B 13 They carry upon their inner edges the opposed flanges 13*, 13 which flanges are substantially perpendicular to the base plate A. The opposed rail web contacting surfaces of these flanges are curved as at B B The curvature of these surfaces is generally cylindrical and they are so arranged that the surfaces come nearest together at two points each one half way between the center of the chair and its outer sides. These curved surfaces are so ar' ranged and separated that when the rail section is moved angularly with respect to the chair there is ample room for the overhang ing end of the rail to move freely within the interior of the chair.

C, C are the ends of rail sections adapted each to fit into the aperture in the rail chair and rest upon the bearing surfaces one on either side of the chair. C are pins adapted to pass through the perforations 6*, C in the flanges B B and through perforations in the rail sections to hold them in position in the chair. The pins, of course, can be withdrawn so that the rail sections may be separated from the chairs in the usual manner, and it will be noted that the size of the pins is such and the relation of the rail sections is such that they, while holding the rail against longitudinal displacement or withdrawal from the chair, do not interfere with any angular change in the position of the rail section. It will be noted that the perforations C G in the flanges B B are close together but arranged in separate pairs, the group (1 being nearer to the outside of the chair than the group C Under ordinary conditions, with the holding pin passing through the perforations C the tWo rail sections will abut closely one upon another, but when the pins pass through the holes C there will be an increased distance between the ends of the rail sections.

Referringnow to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the track is arranged on a curve and that the curve is formed by a large number of separate short track sections each inclined to those adjacent to it, the curve being tangent to each of these rail sections.- T he rail sections are supported as indicated by the chairs only at their ends, and these chairs perform a two-fold function. They hold the rails in operative relation and also support them. It will be notedthat when the track is laid upon a curve, the length of the inner side is less than the length of the outer side, and since all the track sections are of the same length means have been provided to compensate for the change in length by bringing the ends of the sections on the inner side closer together than the ends of the sections on the outer rail. This is accomplished by using the two groups of holes in the chairs. The holding pins pass through the inner holes for the inner rail and through the outer holes for the outer rail. There is a gap thus left at the chair between the rail sections of the outer rail, and this gap is filled by a short piece of rail D, which normally will be placed in position before one or both of the rail sections are put in place. This part D would normally rest upon the bottom of the perforation or the aperture in the shoe, but/since the bottom at the center a is lower than the surface supporting the rails, it is necessary to provide this filling member with a means for raising it up so as to bring its bearing surface into the same level as the bearing surface of the rail section. This means takes the form of a shim 'in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made both in size,

It will be obshape and arrangement of parts without departing materiallyfrom the spirit of my invention, and I wish, therefore, that my drawings be regarded as in a sense diagrammatic.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows The apertured rail chair, as shown, is adapted to contain and support the two abutting ends of the rail sections forming a part of the track. The baseplate with the overhanging webs forms the apertured chair. The surfaces of the rail and parts of the aperture are correlated as shown, topermit of the rail and chair assumingpositions with their axes inclined to one another without interfering with the support of the rail in and on the chair. The loose pinconnection holds the rail against longitudinal movement with respect to the chair, but does not interfere with the angular movement o f the rail and chair with respect one to another.

The peculiar curvature both of the sup porting surface on the base plate and the guiding or. web contacting surfaces on the flanges carried by the chair webs assures a continuous supporting and guiding contact between the rail and the chair no matter what the angular position of the rail and the chair. In other words the curved surfaces permit the chair and rail to be in operative relation when the axes of the two coincide, or When the axis of the rail moves either vertically or horizontally with respect to the axis of the aperture in the chair.

When the short rail sections are united with a series of chairs to ,form a complete track such as may be used for a portable mu way or even more preferably for a steam shovel, the chairs are all of them'mounted upon ties or sleepers, being held. rigidly in position by screw bolts as shown. This fixes the gage of the track. The short lengths of v rail are then brought into position, the ends being inserted about half way into the chair. The pins or bolts are then driven in and the ends of the rail sections are held thereby in position in the chair in such way that the end sections abut one upon another, The connection between the rail and the chair is obviously a very loose and flexible one, and, while the rail chair holds and supports the rail and efiectuallyprevents its overturning. still the movement of the rail with respect to the chair can be very great. The slope may change from rail to rail or the curve may change in any desired way, so that the track may be made to'conforin to the surface of the ground along which the train or excavator is to run, and so that the track may be curved about to avoid obstacles. 7

When the track is curved, and the curve is of any great length, it iszevidentfthat the length ofthe inner rail will be less than the length of the outerrail, and so I provide means as shown whereby the sectional short pieces in the outer rail may be placed farther apart, thus giving the desired increased length. This is done by fastening the rail sections to the chair, not as in the case of the inner rail, through the central holes, but by passing the pin through the outer holes. This gives a maximum increase. If, however, the curve is only slight, it is sufficient to fasten each rail to the inner hole at one end, and the outer hole at the other, thus resulting in a partial elongation of the outer rail.

1 claim 1. A rail chair having rail supporting and rail web contacting surfaces, said surfaces being curved to permit angular movement of the rail with respect to the chair.

2. A rail chair having rail supporting and rail web contacting surfaces, said surfaces being curved to permit angular movement of the rail with respect to the chair and means carried by the chair for loosely holding the rail in position therein.

3. An apertured rail chair having curved rail supporting and rail web contacting surfaces adjacent either end of the aperture.

4. A rail chair apertured to receive the ends of opposed rail sections, the rail contacting surfaces of the chair adjacent one end of the aperture being curved to permit angular movement of the rail section with respect to the chair.

5. A rail chair having a horizontally disposed curved rail supporting surface and curved vertically disposed rail web engaging surfaces.

6. The combination with a pair of abutting rail sections of a rail chair apertured to contain adjacent section ends, all the contiguous surfaces of the rail sections and the chair being so shaped as to permit angular movement of the rail sections and the chair with respect one to another, in any direction.

7. The combination with a pair of abutting rail sections of a rail chair apertured to contain the adjacent section ends, all the contiguous surfaces of the rail sections and tie chair being so shaped as to permit angular movement of the rail sections and the chair with respect one to another, in any direction, and means for loosely holding the rail sections in position in the chair.

8. The combination with a pair of abutting rail sections of a rail chair apertured to contain the adjacent section ends, all the contiguous surfaces of the rail sections and the chair being so shaped as to permit angu lar movement of the rail sections and the chair with respect one to another, in any direction, and means for loosely holding the rail sections in position in the chair, said leans comprising pins passing through the chair, and the rail web, the chair and web being perforated in register to engage such pins.

9. A railroad track construction comprising a plurality of short rail sections of equal length, plurality of supporting tie members, rail chairs rigidly mounted upon them, all the contiguous surfaces of the rails and chairs being so shaped as to permit angular movement of the rails with respect to the chairs, the rails and chairs being perforated, pins passing through such perforations to hold the rails in the chairs, the perforations in the chairs being arranged in two separate groups, some of them farther from the center of tie chair than the others, to permit of longitudinal adjustment of the rail sections with respect to the chairs.

10. A railroad track construction comprising a plurality of short rail sections of equal length, a plurality of separate rail chairs adapted to support the abutting ends of the rail sections, means for yieldingly holding the ends of the rail sections in said chairs, and means including said chairs for varying the efi'ect-ive length of the track portions formed by assembling the chairs and rail sections to compensate for the different lengths of track required on the inside and outside of a curve.

11. A rail chair containing an aperture into which the ends of two rails placed end to end may be entered, the aperture having curved surfaces with which the rails may come in contact so arranged that the rails as they project from the chair will be free to assume positions with their axes inclined to the axis of the chair, in any direction.

12'. A rail chair containing an aperture, a part of the bounding walls of which are curved so as to form a passage contracted at one place to provide a minimum space for two rails placed end to end, such curved surfaces being arranged so as to permit the rail sections to assume positions with their axes inclined to the axis of the chair.

13. In a track construction the combination of a series of separate rail sections and rail chairs supporting them, of means for supporting the sections and means for loosely attaching and fastening the rail sections to the chairs, said means being arranged to compensate for difi erence in length of eifective rail portions when the track is laid about a curve.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 20th day of June, 1917.

PIERPONT E. DUTCHER.

Witnesses:

VVALTER PLEHN, Cnannncn E. GAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. C." 

